Marbles are, of course, small, hard balls made from clay, stone, glass, steel, wood, or any other suitable material. Children and adults have played the game of marbles for thousands of years beginning first with the Romans and in ancient Egypt. A marble made of pure marble or other suitable stone is highly priced and generally regarded as being the most accurate for shooting. However, they are also the most expensive and rare. On the other hand, clay marbles tend to be relatively inexpensive, but tend to have inaccurate dimensions and a dull appearance. Today, glass marbles are most typical.
Traditionally, marble games are played on the ground. To play traditional marbles, players begin by drawing a circle that is three to ten feet in diameter. The diameter of the circle is determined by the skill of the players. Players with greater skill utilize a larger diameter circle. Players put thirteen mibs (smaller marbles that are typically about ⅝ of an inch in diameter) in the center of the circle. The players then decide whether they will play for xe2x80x9ckeepsiesxe2x80x9d (playing for ownership of the marbles you win) or just for fun. Once decided, the game begins by one player placing their knuckles on the ground outside the ring and flicking their shooter marble or Taw (a larger typically more expensive marble having a diameter of at least xc2xd inch, but not more than xc2xe inch in diameter) at the other marbles within the ring attempting to knock the mibs out of the circle while not shooting the Taw out of the circle. If the player is successful, the player shoots again. Of course, there are numerous other marble games that can be played as well.
Because of the historical and continued popularity of marble games with both children and adults, there is a significant need for an adaptable marble playing table that can be played in a more traditional fashionxe2x80x94at ground levelxe2x80x94or in a elevated game table environment.
The present invention generally relates to game tables and their components. More particularly, the present invention relates to adjustable marble game tables and the components used to construct such tables.
One embodiment of the present invention is directed toward a marble playing table assembly that typically includes: a table portion; a removable playing surface; and a removable marble table section. The table portion typically includes a support surface and at least one downwardly extending support member attached to the support surface and may include a leveling adjustment device. The removable playing surface has a top surface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface may have at least one support peg receiving cavity and at least one playing surface alignment mark. The removable marble table section has an upright marble retention section which defines a sloped center section, a bottom surface, an inwardly projecting portion, and at least one support peg. The support peg(s) are connected to the sloped center section for suspending the removable playing surface substantially level above the sloped center section. The sloped center section further includes a table section alignment mark. The removable marble table section removably engages the support surface of the table portion. At least one support peg connects to at least one support peg receiving cavity when the playing surface alignment mark and the table section alignment mark are aligned with one another.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a marble playing table assembly having: a removable marble table section receiving support table; a removable playing surface; and a substantially wood removable marble table section. The removable marble table section receiving support table includes a substantially flat removable marble table section receiving surface and at least one downwardly extending support member which engages the substantially flat support surface. Any number of the downwardly extending support member may also include a leveling adjustment device. The removable playing surface has a top surface and a bottom surface that includes at least one support peg receiving cavity and at least one playing surface alignment mark. The removable marble table section includes an upright marble retention section which defines a sloped center section. The sloped center section typically has a diameter greater than the diameter of the playing surface and a bottom surface. The removable marble table section may further include a marble return opening where the sloped center section directs marbles that have fallen off the removable playing surface toward the marble return opening. The removable marble table section also may include an inwardly projecting portion which extends over at least a portion of the removable playing surface. The inwardly projecting portion may have at least one bubble level for facilitating the leveling of the marble table. The sloped center section also may include a table section alignment mark and a number of support pegs which correspond to the number of support peg receiving cavities on the bottom surface of the removable playing surface. The sloped center section and support pegs suspend the removable playing surface substantially level above the sloped center section. The support pegs typically include support peg knobs which engage the support peg receiving cavities on the bottom surface of the removable playing surface. The support peg knobs matingly engage the support peg cavities when the playing surface alignment mark and the table section alignment mark are aligned with one another. The removable marble table section may engage the support surface by utilizing at least one engagement device, which, for a period of time, locks the removable marble table section in a substantially fixed positive engaged with the removable marble table section receiving support table.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a marble table assembly that typically includes: a table support surface and at least one support leg engaged with the support surface. The removable playing surface having a top surface and a bottom surface where the bottom surface has at least one support peg receiving cavity. The removable marble table section typically has an upright marble retention section defining a sloped center section and a bottom surface. The removable marble table section includes a number of support pegs corresponding to the number of support peg receiving cavities on the bottom surface of the removable playing surface. The support pegs and the support peg receiving cavities support the removable playing surface above the sloped center section. The removable marble table section removably engages the support surface, which allows the playing surface or the entire marble table section optionally to be disengaged from the table and used at a location other than in connection with the table.
A further embodiment of the present invention includes a marble table assembly typically having: a support table; a number of removable playing surfaces that each have different diameters to accommodate marble players having a variety of skill levels; and a marble table section. The support table typically includes a support surface and at least one downwardly extending support connected to the support surface. Any member of the downwardly extending supports may also include a leveling adjustment device. Each removable playing surface includes a top surface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface may have at least one support peg receiving cavity. The marble table section typically has an upright marble retention section defining a sloped center section where the sloped center section has a diameter equal to or less than the diameter of the largest playing surface. The marble table section has a bottom surface and at least one support peg engaged to the sloped center section for suspending the removable playing surfaces substantially level and above the sloped center section.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.